Why anti-US sentiment is quietly growing in India

New Delhi last week slammed as "inappropriate" comments shared by US President Donald Trump on social media that referred to India as a "hellhole."

Trump shared excerpts from The Savage Nation talk radio show, in which conservative commentator Michael Savage said: "A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet."

India's Foreign Ministry described the remarks as "obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste," in a statement cited by Reuters.

"They ​certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests."

The comments come amid a broader set of economic pressures that are increasingly weighing on public sentiment in India toward Washington.

Why India‑US ties still matter

India–US ties are central to both nations' global strategies, built on shared economic, security and technology interests.

The United States is India's largest trading partner and a key destination for its diaspora. 

New Delhi is also pivotal to Washington's Indo‑Pacific strategy, especially as a counterweight to China's growing influence.

While formal ties are unlikely to change, India's once aspirational view of the US is increasingly being replaced by a more transactional outlook.

India entered 2025 optimistic about what Trump's second term in office would bring for bilateral relations.

Five months later, the US president and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were drawn into a diplomatic tussle after Trump announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack in India-administered Kashmir, claiming himself as its broker. Pakistan supported Trump's account.

India, however, strongly denied Trump's claim, reiterating that ceasefire talks are conducted bilaterally and that third‑party involvement on Kashmir is unacceptable.

How US tariffs on India rattled bilateral trust

In July 2025, the US said it would impose a 50% tariff on India — one of the highest in the world — partially because India was purchasing Russian oil. 

In an August 2025 report published by the Delhi Policy Group think tank, former diplomat Hemant Krishan Singh said that US-India relations were at an "inflection point." 

"Singling out India for purchases of Russian oil while giving other (and larger) buyers a free pass can hardly be deemed as anything but a hostile act," Singh wrote.

"There has been a setback to mutual trust, confidence has been shaken, uncertainty has crept in, public support in India has dissipated," he added. 

During a speech at last month's Raisina Dialogue security conference in New Delhi, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that "India should understand that we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China."

"It was a culmination of what had happened over the last year. And the fact that these comments were made in a strategic setting shows how this US administration looks at India," said Navtej Sarna, former Indian ambassador to the US and retired diplomat.

Sarna told DW that this angered a lot of officials in Delhi. "The warmth towards Pakistan has also played to the sense of distrust in India," Sarna added. 

How US actions hit ordinary Indians

Experts cited a series of other incidents, from tighter restrictions on the H‑1B visa program used largely by Indian and Chinese migrants, to Trump‑aligned influencers amplifying narratives deemed racist about India, and Trump himself offering India temporary "permission" to purchase Russian oil amid shortages linked to the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Karen Rebelo, independent journalist and disinformation expert, explained that the Iran war has "turned everything on its head."

"The rupee hit a record low, the stock market saw losses, supply chains were affected. People's lives across the board saw direct impacts, and no one was immune, especially in import-dependent India," she told DW. 

India's right-wing voters, a key chunk of whom are small, medium, and big business owners, have largely been supportive of Trump due to ideological parallels.

"Both lean on religion, both are conservative and pro-trade, both see Muslim minorities as the enemy," Rebelo pointed out.

But the traditional support has turned to quiet frustration as their businesses suffer.

"There is even a sense of envy. They want India to be the one to dictate terms, to have the strength to call the shots," she said.

Indian media shift position on US

Modi's government has largely been restrained in reacting to the second Trump administration, in return for the occasional praise from the US president calling New Delhi a "very good friend."

"India has decided to keep working on the relationship that has been consistently built up so as not to lose everything," Sarna said, noting that India had sought to respond with maturity, even when a firmer stance might have been justified.

But where the government has chosen to hold back, influencers aligned with the government have sharply criticized the US president.

YouTubers with millions of followers — like Nitesh Rajput, Shams Sharma, Abhi from Abhi and Niyu, and Abhijit Chavda — have largely toed the government's narrative before.

Within the last three months, all of the above have published content that steps away from the "good friends" narrative. Some videos even question Trump's sanity. 

"Anti-US sentiment is definitely at a recent all-time high," said Sundeep Narwani, co-founder of India-based AI research firm Narritive Research Lab, which uses behavioral and consumer data to predict interests and map media narratives.

"The real heavy lifting of narrative making is being done by influential YouTubers, both pro-government and those critical of it," he said.

Narwani said even mainstream Indian TV channels have abandoned their pro-Trump position.

"TV channels in the past have been more pro-American, but now one can very evidently feel the balance in the coverage."

"TV channels are showing casualties and destruction (in the Iran war) on both sides equally. The correction from the asymmetrical sympathy in the past is a new phenomenon," he told DW. 

Narratives set by top influencers are quickly adapted by smaller creators, Narwani said.

"After cascading to regional influencers, the same in-depth geopolitical analysis content becomes overly simplified and emotionally charged," Narvani added.

What does this mean for US-India ties? 

For now, public sentiment in India is unlikely to derail India–US ties, which remain rooted in deep strategic and economic interests. But the shift unfolding beneath the surface is harder to ignore. 

What was once a relationship buoyed by aspiration and goodwill is increasingly being reframed through cost, consequence, and perceived imbalance.

For many Indians, the US is no longer just a partner or a model to emulate, but a power whose decisions can disrupt lives far beyond its borders. 

That recalibration, driven as much by lived economic strain as by geopolitics, may prove more enduring than any single diplomatic rift.

Edited by: Keith Walker